Ingenious

INGENIOUS is an old-fashioned tale of American invention. It follows a small group of tinkerers, garage hackers, racers, and entrepreneurs who set out to do something they were told was impossible: build a practical car that travels 100 miles on the energy in a single gallon of gas.

I started following these inventors in 2007, after the economy had crashed and General Motors had declared bankruptcy, and it seemed like there was a rare window of opportunity for an outsider with a new idea. Reading the book now, it strikes me as a time capsule of those years. Skyhorse just published a beautiful paperback of INGENIOUS in 2017, with a new introduction by me and a foreword by Tom Voelk of the New York Times.

Praise for Ingenious

“A paean to the long-lost American art of invention, ‘Ingenious’ is a story that has all the built-in drama of the best fiction. It’s driven by characters that are, by turns, whip smart and wide-eyed and desperate, and a plot to achieve a seemingly unobtainable goal.”The Orange County Register

“A well-told tale of invention, tribulation, and, yes, ingenuity. Car and green enthusiasts alike, from high school nerds to old-time readers of Popular Mechanics, will find this a ripping good tale.”Library Journal

“Anyone interested in how automobile dreams are born in this postbailout economy will delight in this fast, engaging read.”Publisher’s Weekly

“A well-tooled, instructive tale of ingenuity.”Kirkus

“An entertaining book that offers insight and inspiration for a wide range of [readers] who could be thinking about inventing ‘something that matters.'”Booklist